Modern computing systems have evolved from simple stand alone boxes in a rack to a more integrated form. For example, a typical blade system includes a plurality of components housed in an enclosure. Blades contain the traditional, non shared components of the computer, such as one or more processors. Blades may also include memory, storage, and other components. An enclosure may host multiple blades. Components that may be shared between blades are moved from individual blades to the enclosure.
Some components may be housed in the enclosure and are shared by all the blades. For example, there may be power supply units in the enclosure, all of which collectively provide power to the blades. Other support components may include fans for cooling the components in the enclosure. In addition, the enclosure may include components that allow the blades to communicate with each other. For example, there may be an internal network in the enclosure that allows the blades to communicate with each other using networking protocols. There may also be other interconnects, such as a connection fabric that allows processors on individual blades to communicate with each other.
Finally, there may be interfaces on the enclosure that allow for external systems to communicate with the enclosure. Typically, these external interface are used for configuration and maintenance of the enclosure and the blades housed therein. For example, the various connection fabrics may be configured to determine which blades are allowed to communicate with each other, how power is supplied to the blades, addresses, such as IP addresses of the blades, and a whole host of other parameters.